Bound to Darkness
by GenericDude
Summary: Saddled to a grave responsibility, Matthew gives reassurance to a close friend on the eve before the ascension of the Apollo Sanctum. Matthew/Sveta, Spiritshipping, rated T for a light swear word.


Bound to Darkness

It had been weeks since Angara had found itself covered under the veil of darkness. Outside on the open seas, the people were fortunate enough to experience the normal cycle of day and night. But everybody on the mainland was forced to suffer a worse fate.

The rise of the Grave Eclipse marked what seemed to be a new, dark era for Weyard. Strange, horrible monsters started to appear wherever the light was blotted out, causing destruction and devastation across the lands. Many people died trying to escape from their fates, whilst everybody else lived in fear. For within the darkness of the Grave Eclipse, there was no night or day, just darkness. The skies and horizons were all covered with the same murky purple mist from where the beasts converged. Day by day, those who cannot escape tried their best to survive.

But as time passed, it seemed that their fates were bound to darkness. Slowly, great cities would succumb to the monsters, the abominations that wandered the empty fields, looking to extinguish all pure life. Small villages stood very little chance of holding off the evil beings, whilst the big cities closed themselves in defense. Their only real defense was light, light that could be created. Fires. And without anyway of collecting more supplies, these towns and cities were slowly forced to burn themselves for survival. Be it the monsters or the fires, if the Grave Eclipse couldn't be stopped, then the whole of Angara would become a burning, evil ridden wasteland beneath the dark rays of the Grave Eclipse.

The severity of the situation hadn't hit Sveta until her and the rest of the group of heroes destined to stop the Grave Eclipse had visited Champa. Some of the residents who escaped from the dark forces had set up a camp at the edge of the eclipse's reach. They were lucky enough to be safe. Sveta could remember the horror of walking into a near desolate Champa, nearly devoid of life, with houses and thatch roofs set alight in an attempt to ward off the evil monsters. Dead skeletons lay everywhere, and as she used her Spirit Sense Psynergy to gather information, the chilling tales of their doom shook her right down to her stomach.

The group had heard of a way to stop the Grave Eclipse through the use of artefacts called collectively as the Umbra Gear. Pieces of gear that were filled with dark energy. The key to stopping the Grave Eclipse was somewhere up in the Apollo Sanctum high in the skies, a place filled with so much light, it was deadly. Sveta also knew that only she could wear the Umbra Gear, and that she would be the key to entering the Apollo Sanctum. It made her feel such a powerful responsibility, a grave burden. What if she were to die before reaching the sanctum? Would the world come to an end?

These were the thoughts that relayed themselves through her head repetitively as she sat on her bed in the inn at Tonfon. The group had indeed collected all of the Umbra Gear, and had also collected the three orbs needed to pass through the Endless Wall and up towards Apollo Sanctum. The orbs were safe with Matthew, the leader of the group, but the Umbra Gear lay in their separate pieces on the floor in front of her, as she sat on the bed, watching them closely with unhindered eyes. She always knew she had strange powers, but these pieces granted her a power that she had never come across before.

It was midnight when Sveta heard a soft knock on the door. She slowly turned her head and gazed at the door.

"...Come in" she said quietly. The door opened, and the person behind the door was revealed to be Matthew. With his scraggly blonde hair like his father, wearing a light vest and some patchy trousers, most possibly his nightwear, he closed the door behind him. His face was one of concern.

"Hey Sveta..." Matthew said quietly. He had a rather soft, quiet voice. He never talked that much, especially when the group were in the full swing of a conversation. He was a silent, but somewhat brilliant leader.

"Hello Matthew..." Sveta said quietly, turning her head back towards the pieces of the Umbra Gear. Her thoughts seemed to wane from her head as she wondered what Matthew was going to ask.

"I was just wondering if you were okay..." Matthew said, stepping so he was just within Sveta's line of sight. "Tomorrow's gonna be the day we sort this whole thing out..."

Sveta could do nothing but sigh. She had a lot on her mind. It wasn't easy being the only hope for the world. The only person who could withstand the light, the only person who could wear the Umbra Gear. It was a great burden for her to carry, and if she were to fail in her duty, then there would be no chance for Weyard to escape the destruction of the Grave Eclipse.

She felt the mattress of her bed shift somewhat as Matthew sat on the edge of it, his hands clutching the edge of the mattress to either side of his body.

"...I have a great responsibility to carry out" Sveta spoke. "If I fail...then I don't think this world can be saved. Nobody else could use the Umbra Gear except me..." She felt rather sad about it. Matthew was also a little intimidated by the task ahead of them.

"...If only Volechek hadn't activated the Luna Tower...then maybe this wouldn't have happened..." Matthew said quietly.

"It isn't his fault, Matthew" Sveta said suddenly, looking towards Matthew. "He had no choice...and he gave us one of the three orbs. I don't know where he may be now, but I know he wants us to put an end to this just as much as he wants to. It's only...my brother, he can't. He may not have survived Belinsk..." she said quietly. The sadness started to grow inside of her and Matthew could sense this at once. He shifted up closer to Sveta and placed a hand on her shoulder. Ever since they first met, Matthew always felt this need to keep Sveta happy, no matter what was ahead of them. He had succeeded many times, but this time, it looked as if she was about to begin crying.

"I'm sure Volechek is okay" Matthew reassured. "I have the feeling he wouldn't have activated the Luna Tower for his own good. I mean, you know him better than I do, but as a king, I'm sure he wouldn't want to see harm done upon his people, right?" he suggested. "He'd fight until the very end, right?"

"It's because of those bastards, Blados and Chalis" Sveta spat, trying to control her tears. "They're the ones who want the power...and they'd manipulate my brother like this...they're heartless..."

"Sveta...don't cry" Matthew said. But Sveta couldn't keep control any further. Her expression became extremely pained and she started to sob. Her head sunk as her eyes filled with tears, her hands slowly cupping. She then let her head fall into her hands slowly as her entire body quivered. Every single sob she emitted tore through Matthew.

"I...*sob*...why does this have to be happening?" she sobbed, failing to hold back her tears. "It's...just not fair...*sniff*...it isn't fair...*sob*..." she whimpered. Matthew could feel himself welling up slightly. It must have been extremely painful to have to face such a dilemma in life. So he opened his arms up and wrapped them around the quivering Sveta, holding her tightly and digging his face into her shoulder, closing his eyes and breathing out slowly onto her neck.

"It's okay...there's no need to cry, everything is going to be fine in the end..." he comforted. Sveta slowly opened her own arms and placed them around Matthew, crying into his shoulder instead.

"Oh Matthew..." she whimpered once more. "...Why do you treat me so nicely?" Matthew remained silent for a few seconds, rubbing Sveta's back, slowing her sobbing into soft, clam breathing. He could feel her breath condensing on his shoulder, the slight warm tinge. It felt somewhat soothing, comforting. He stroked her hair softly, relishing the silky feel of it upon his bare hand. He hadn't felt something so divinely soft in a long time.

"...I don't like seeing you unhappy" Matthew said after the small silence. "...That's all"

Sveta had calmed down by now and detached herself slightly from Matthew, just enough so she could see his shining blue eyes. She had to admit, they were very alluring, in fact, he was alluring in himself. His strong abilities as a leader matched with his somewhat shy personality and chivalrous ways made him a very attractive person both physically and mentally. To be in his arms felt a little nerve wracking, but something that she did enjoy very much. Ever since the two met, she always had the desire to impress him, make him proud of her by defeating her enemies in combat. To receive praise from him was something she dearly treasured.

Her eyes still slightly red from crying, she took a deep, quivering breath.

"I...I don't want to let us all down..." she managed to say. "...I don't want you let you down, Matthew..."

Matthew let go of Sveta suddenly and placed both of his hand delicately upon her cheeks, caressing her face softly.

"You won't Sveta" he assured. "I promise you, you won't. And don't worry about getting hurt either, because I'm going to take care of you. Not just me, but all of us in the team. It isn't your responsibility alone; we all share the burden here. It isn't just you; we're all fighting to save the world. I promise you that everything is going to be okay after this. I'll make sure of that myself, okay?" he asked, looking very closely into her eyes. Their faces were very close; Matthew could feel her faint breath lightly touching upon his own face.

"...M-Matthew..." Sveta stuttered. The time for words was over. Matthew's eyes shut slightly as he gave Sveta a reassuring smile, before kissing her softly upon the mouth. Sveta felt no surprise to this at all; it was the best comfort she could ever feel. She suddenly realised at that moment that she was not alone, and that Matthew was going to be there for her every step of the way. Knowing that, as she was kissed, she started to smile, her eyes closing as she bubbled up inside. She wasn't alone, and for the first time since the Grave Eclipse was created, Sveta truly did feel that she and her companions would all fight together for the future of Weyard.


End file.
